BY DONNA DUARTE-LADD
It is happening. Kids at least the younger ones can rejoice for Mayor De Blasio announced that playgrounds are re-opening this Monday, June 22nd. As a parent of two super energetic boys, this is a huge deal. Like most parents, I live in the playground regardless of the weather.
How will this work? The mayor says to expect social distancing ‘ambassadors.’ That is great, but parents know that the park can, at times, look like the crowds at Coachella. Pure chaos. So like most things in what is our new normal, we will all have to be patient and be responsible for adhering to social distancing requirements, and kids over 2 years old should be wearing masks.
Also, the NYC Parks Department (as of now) will not be sanitizing the playgrounds, so bring that hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes if you have. Will I be that mom wiping down the slide? Hell, ya, I will. The CDC says “It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about how this virus spreads.” So while this virus is still a mystery, being overly cautious in a public space where there will be many little people touching things is a good thing.
See you Monday at the park!
This story first appeared on newyorkfamily.com.
